Saturday, July 11, 2009

Private property rights should rule supreme

There are two news stories floating around in the 24-hour spin cycle which concern supposed discrimination being perpetrated by the Mormon Church and a private pool in Philadelphia. It seems that the Mormons had asked some gay men to leave the church plaza in Salt Lake City for making a public display of affection to one another, while in Philly it was a private pool that had decided that allowing a large group of inner-city black youth to use their facility was a mistake and denied them access.

In both cases the dreaded specter of "discrimination" has begun to rear its ugly head over both incidents. Well, yes, that IS what this is. Discrimination. That this is also the very essence of private property rights and what true liberty is all about should not be lost on any of us. When something is privately held it is your right and privilege, to yes, discriminate. I have the right to keep people out of my house that are unwelcome and so does the LDS Church and the Valley Club in Pennsylvania.

Do I personally agree with these decisions? That does not matter one iota. The fact that these privately held entities decided to act in their own self interest on their own property is all that matters. Period. By asserting their private property rights they have put a healthy check on tyranny and a boost to liberty for us all.